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In 1956, the Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II convertibles replaced the original series.

The vehicles were slightly smaller, but like their predecessors, were fully armoured and featured state-of-the art communications.

Moreover, the vehicles were fitted with narrow rims inside the tire in case the tires were shot out.

The Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II served not only President Eisenhower, but also Presidents John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson. (In 1965, reports CNN, Johnson was the first president to ride in a bulletproof limosine in an inaugural parade, less than two years after his predecessor, Kennedy, was shot and killed while riding in an open car.)Both vehicles were retired in 1968.

The Ronald W Reagan administration was delivered a 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine, and a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham-Presidential Series was delivered to the William J Clinton administration in 1993.

Unlike previous models that typically were Cadillac cars adapted and modified by independent limousine companies, the 1993 Presidential Brougham was designed, developed and manufactured totally within General Motors.

This included an extensive set of security measures to maintain confidentiality, a tradition that continues today.

Cadillac has produced two presidential limousines this decade that remain in service. The first was a Deville Presidential model delivered to President George W Bush in 2001.

By: Irma Venter
New-vehicle exports from South Africa into the rest of Africa fell dramatically in the first eight months of the year. Exports reached 32 080 trucks, bakkies and cars from January to August 2015, dropping a whopping 54% in 2016, to 14 723 units. The decline follows a drop in exports from 78 787 units for the full year in 2013, to 61 839 units in 2014, and 42 594 units in 2015. This year the number could be around 20 000 units. South African vehicle exports grew to all regions of the ... →